Francis Joseph Magner (March 18, 1887 – June 13, 1947) was an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Marquette in Michigan from 1941 to 1947.

Biography

Early life

Francis Magner was born on March 18, 1887, in Wilmington, Illinois, to James and Margaret (née Follen) Magner. He was the third of eight children; one sister, Elizabeth Manger, joined the

Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...

and one brother, James Manger, also became a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

. James Magner the elder worked as a

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer m ...

and merchant, also serving as a city commissioner and

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...

. After graduating from St. Ignatius College in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Francis Magner attended St. Mary's College in St. Marys, Kansas. He continued his studies in Rome at the Pontifical North American College. Magner earned a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

degree from the University of Propaganda in 1909, and a Bachelor of Canon Law degree from Apollinarus University in 1911.

Priesthood

While in Rome, Magner was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood by Archbishop James Edward Quigley for the

Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago ( la, Archidiœcesis Chicagiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. It was established as a diocese in 1843 and ...

on May 17, 1913. After his ordination, Magner held the following parish assignments in Illinois: * Curate at St. Mary Nativity in Joliet * Curate at St. Pius V in Chicago * Curate at St. Mel in Chicago * Curate at St. Francis Xavier in

Wilmette Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a population of 27,087 at the 2010 census. The ...

* Pastor of St. James in Highwood (1924 to 1927) * Pastor of St. Mary in Evanston (1927 to 1941) Magner was named a

monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

in 1939.

Bishop of Marquette

On December 21, 1940, Magner was appointed the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Marquette by Pope Pius XII. He received his episcopal consecration on February 24, 1941, from Archbishop

Samuel Stritch Samuel Alphonsius Stritch (August 17, 1887 – May 27, 1958) was an American Cardinal prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago from 1940 to 1958 and as pro-prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Pro ...

, with Bishops Eugene J. McGuinness and

William O'Brien William O'Brien (2 October 1852 – 25 February 1928) was an Irish nationalist, journalist, agrarian agitator, social revolutionary, politician, party leader, newspaper publisher, author and Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons o ...

serving as co-consecrators, at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. His installation took place at St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette on March 20, 1941. During his six-year tenure, Magner provided attention to the mission parishes of the diocese, established the diocesan newspaper, promoted U.S. Laymen's Retreat Association, and created seven catechetical schools.

Death and legacy

Francis Manger died on June 13, 1947, after a long illness in Marquette, at age 60. He is buried in the crypt of St. Peter Cathedral.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magner, Francis Joseph People from Wilmington, Will County, Illinois Roman Catholic bishops of Marquette 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 1887 births 1947 deaths People from Evanston, Illinois People from Highwood, Illinois Catholics from Illinois